Erdoğan demands Saudis extradite suspects in Khashoggi killing

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan demanded Saturday that Saudi Arabia extradite suspects in the killing in Istanbul of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying a trial in the kingdom was not satisfactory.

Addressing reporters at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires, Erdoğan said that only Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the Khashoggi death at the gathering and that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave an "unbelievable explanation" of Riyadh's role in the case.

He stressed that neither Islamic world nor the international community would be satisfied until revealing of all those responsible for murder of the journalist.

Erdoğan said Turkey has never intended to harm Saudi Arabia or Saudi royal family.

"We believe that it will also be in the interest of Saudi Arabia to clarify all aspects of the murder and prosecute all perpetrators," said the president.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

The Saudi government changed its story on the murder, first denying it took place, then suggesting it was accidental and finally referring to it as a rogue operation.

- SITUATION IN YEMEN
On Yemen, Erdoğan said the crisis in the war-torn country must be resolved urgently.

"The pain of Yemeni people must be finished as soon as possible. The independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Yemen should definitely be protected," Erdoğan stressed.

An estimated 8.4 million people in Yemen are at risk of severe famine and more than 22 million people, or 75 percent of the population, are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by conflict since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab allies launched a military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen and shoring up the country's Saudi-backed government.

The war has resulted in a collapsed economy and a cholera outbreak that has affected over 1.1 million people.

Riyadh has repeatedly accused the Houthis of acting as a proxy force for Iran, Saudi Arabia's arch-foe in the region.

- 'CLEARING EAST OF EUPHRATES FROM PKK/YPG'
Turning to the situation east of Euphrates river in northern Syria, Erdoğan said Turkey will clear east of Euphrates in northern Syria from PKK/YPG terror group in the near future.

"We will not allow any structure in northern Syria that poses threat to the security of our country and region," he stressed.

YPG/PKK terrorists currently occupy some 28 percent of Syrian territory.

A possible mission east of the Euphrates, which Turkey's leadership has been suggesting for months, would follow two successful cross-border Turkish operations into Syria, Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch, both meant to eradicate the presence of the terrorist YPG/PKK and Daesh near Turkey's borders.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including those of women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.

- 'AGGRESSIVE POLICIES OF GREEK CYPRIOTS'
He said Turkey will keep taking necessary measures as long as Greek Cypriots continue their "aggressive policies" ignoring basic rights of Turkish Cypriots.

Erdoğan said Turkey will not allow usurpation of northern Cyprus' rights on hydrocarbon resources in eastern Mediterranean.

The eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks, and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.

Negotiations over Cyprus resumed after a 2004 UN-backed Annan Plan to reunify the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities.

The status of the island remains unresolved in spite of a series of discussions that resumed in May 2015.

There has been an on-and-off peace process over recent years, the latest failed initiative having taken place in Crans-Montana, Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the U.K., collapsing last year.